Learn how to extend the iPad's long battery life a little further

It's no secret by now that the third-generation iPad's battery grew by 70 percent to accommodate the device's new retina display. But despite that capacity, the new iPad's battery life has remained just about the same as that of the iPad 2. This would suggest that battery life is not a significant concern, right? If you're anything like me, that assumption is still wrong. My own personal mission when using mobile devices is to conserve, covet, and hoard my battery life—almost to the point of obsession—which is why I'm slowly becoming known among my friends, family, and coworkers as a battery miser.

Apple claims that the battery life for most iPads averages 10 hours of usage, and can sometimes even surpass it. But for someone like me, those 10 hours are precious electronic charges to be savored. What's more, if you have owned an iPad before, you know the device can take a few hours to recharge, keeping you from being truly mobile. I like to know that I can leave the house without having to bring along a charger every single time.

On my first generation iPad, a single charge would last me anywhere from two to four days, but that has changed with the third-gen device. Charging the battery fully would take around a couple of hours. With a larger battery, the new iPad is not as swift to charge. My initial charging times with the new iPad have all taken more than four hours from empty to full. Does this mean I should be plugging it into the outlet every chance that I get? No. This is a mobile device, and I like to keep it that way.

If you're eager to maximize your battery life with your new iPad, here are some tips that will help you enjoy the device for longer. These tips assume that you, like many of us, are using your iPad for purposes that go in and out of the boundaries of fun and work activities.

Master the brightness setting

The new high-resolution display is indeed attractive, and you may be tempted to turn up that brightness at all times. Do not do this if you're trying to save battery; bright displays can really suck the juice from your precious charge. Even while indoors or at night, you can go pretty low and still enjoy your usage. Max out on brightness only when truly necessary, like if you're reading in bright sunlight.

Make a strong choice about your wireless settings

If you are using the Verizon or AT&T LTE wireless service, you should know that it will come at a price. The same goes for keeping the device on your Wi-Fi network (but to a lesser extent). If you know you will be using applications that don't require Internet connectivity, such as reading books, reading PDFs, or playing games, toggle that airport mode liberally and turn on your wireless connection of choice only when you know you'll be using it.

Learn how to sacrifice your push notifications

Do you really need a push notification from your banking app every time you make a withdrawal? We don't think so. Can you live without Facebook reminding you that people like your snarky posts? You can stay strong. Notification Center, though useful, can become quite cluttered, and reducing your number of push notifications will not only save your battery, but it may bring you some peace and quiet when you are trying to get things done.

Keep an eye on iCloud

While iCloud can be useful for syncing your music, TV shows, or documents, I'm not a fan of some of iCloud's drain on resources. If you can live without the photo stream, disable it. If you keep the device in a single place at all times, you can probably turn off "Find my iPad." Do you check e-mail only once a day? You can check for messages manually, rather than on a frequent basis.

Choose your own videos over YouTube and Netflix

If you're a true battery miser, you will have noticed that the iPad does a pretty good job of conserving battery when it's playing videos that have been loaded on the device from an iTunes library. While the choices available from YouTube, Vimeo, Netflix, and other streaming apps are plentiful, loading your own videos is a surefire way to make your battery last a little longer. One word of caution: syncing video files from iTunes over Wi-Fi will also drain your battery, so I recommend prepping in advance by loading up on videos via USB cable to be extra conservative.

Always pay in "cache"

There's a great selection of apps that will cache content locally for you so that you can use the app later on, even if you don't have Internet access. These include RSS apps that will cache stories from your feeds, e-book apps like iBooks and Kindle, and two of my favorites, Dropbox and GoodReader. With Dropbox, you can store local versions of books, music, movies, PDFs and more. In order to store a local copy, just star the item and the Dropbox app will store it on the device. Good Reader is an app that lets you read word processing docs, PDFs, e-books and more while syncing with storage services. This app will also let you store documents locally in the iPad to help you save that battery. Whether you are heading to school on a long bus ride or commuting to the office and catching up on documents, you can load these up and then then disable Wi-Fi or LTE while you read your media on the road.

What it really takes to be a battery miser

You may have noticed that I did not advise for purchasing an external battery pack or an additional charger to keep at work or school. With about 10 hours worth of charge in the third-generation iPad, I do believe you can take it around with you and save yourself the hassle of cables and chargers.

But you may be asking yourself: what good is a tablet if I'm not connected to the Internet 100 percent of the time? Years of being stingy with my battery life have taught me that a full battery can really save me from tough situations, such as needing to meet a deadline or perhaps make an emergency call on Skype. In that sense, being a thrifty user can certainly have its rewards. And one of the biggest side advantages of being a battery miser is that, by mastering push notifications and connectivity, you will likely be able to spend long periods of time focused on single activities, potentially boosting your productivity and perhaps even lowering your blood pressure. Of course, if your iPad is always in the home, performing all these tricks probably doesn't hold much appeal. But I like mobility, and I need the battery life to do it.

Heh. This article is pondering to the nerd control freak in us. I admit I'm guilty of eeking out maximum life out of my battery too.

In reality, the battery management doesn't matter as long as the device will run through the day. Just charge it at night.

IME, the quality of the cell data signal makes a HUGE difference in battery life. AT&T has a pretty good coverage where I live. I just got back from a trip to Vegas. AT&T network in the city was so damn slow the battery life was almost halved.

This is why I like the Battery Saver feature in Windows Phone - when you hit low battery, it turns off automatic checking of email and all push notifications until you plug in, but you can still go online and manually check - all without ever having to mess around with the WiFi/cellular data options.

Also, for WiFi sync, don't forget it automatically syncs when plugged in, so I say plug the iPad in for charging and let the WiFi sync do the video copy. No battery life gone!

Heh. This article is pondering to the nerd control freak in us. I admit I'm guilty of eeking out maximum life out of my battery too.

In reality, the battery management doesn't matter as long as the device will run through the day. Just charge it at night.

IME, the quality of the cell data signal makes a HUGE difference in battery life. AT&T has a pretty good coverage where I live. I just got back from a trip to Vegas. AT&T network in the city was so damn slow the battery life was almost halved.

In a way, this is an article about my own obsessions, I would say. And there's nothing worse than really needing your device and having no battery left to finish tasks.

Not sure why this had to be about the new iPad -- most of these tips are standard fare for all smartphones/tablets.

I think most people have been using these ideas on laptops for years, especially brightness on screens and wifi, it's an absolute killer that didn't really have the thought put into it until now.

One I'm not sure on though is memory/storage, is there much of a cost to suspending apps then bringing them back? Theoretically switching apps less would result in a longer battery life. But then, by how much I'm not sure, it's not like the spinning disk problem of old

This is why I like the Battery Saver feature in Windows Phone - when you hit low battery, it turns off automatic checking of email and all push notifications until you plug in, but you can still go online and manually check - all without ever having to mess around with the WiFi/cellular data options.

Also, for WiFi sync, don't forget it automatically syncs when plugged in, so I say plug the iPad in for charging and let the WiFi sync do the video copy. No battery life gone!

I really would like to be able to create customized settings for different situations. Nokia phones used to do this with ringtones and sounds. I would love a battery version of that.

I don't understand why anyone would do any of that stuff unless they were actually using up a full charge in the course of a day. Otherwise doesn't make more sense to enjoy all the features, not worry about fiddling with settings all the time, and just plug it in at the end of the day?

I don't understand why anyone would do any of that stuff unless they were actually using up a full charge in the course of a day. Otherwise doesn't make more sense to enjoy all the features, not worry about fiddling with settings all the time, and just plug it in at the end of the day?

Exactly. And if you're paranoid, keep a dock cable in your car's glove box. USB is available everywhere.

This is why I like the Battery Saver feature in Windows Phone - when you hit low battery, it turns off automatic checking of email and all push notifications until you plug in, but you can still go online and manually check - all without ever having to mess around with the WiFi/cellular data options.

Also, for WiFi sync, don't forget it automatically syncs when plugged in, so I say plug the iPad in for charging and let the WiFi sync do the video copy. No battery life gone!

I really would like to be able to create customized settings for different situations. Nokia phones used to do this with ringtones and sounds. I would love a battery version of that.

I believe that there's an app in the Android Market for that; it uses the GPS to determine where you are, and you can have different connectivity/ringtone settings for different locations. I looked into it when I first got my Nexus One, and just never got around to buying it. I'd suggest that maybe there's an iOS version, but IIRC app-makers don't have the same access to core settings in iOS that they do with Android.

I would never advocate turning off Find My iPad. Even for a device that just stays in the house, these things are small enough to be lost or misplaced. Once it is lost, you won't have a chance to reduce the brightness. This is also why I'd leave WiFi on. This way you can make it screech when it is lost behind a cushion or hiding in the mess of the kid's room.

Turn down the brightness, for sure. But some form of networking seems pretty central to the device.

One of the reasons I love using an iPad is that I don't have to worry about silliness like this. I leave Wifi and 3G and GPS and Push and everything else on all the time, and it still lasts for days, even when using it for hours every day.

I only charged it once when using it frequently during my entire week at GDC.

I like to use my device rather than fret over it. I really don't understand...

Apparently, paying for your apps instead of using the ad supported free ones is much kinder on your battery. This is due to the lack of background data mining in the unsubsidised versions. An interesting read:

I'll agree with some of the broader brushes here -- there are other advantages to turning down brightness too, after all, like improving color rendition, being less taxing on your eyes, and being less blinding in a dark room (even with the auto dim feature).

But, really? Worrying that much about the battery? Just bring an extra cable for the love of Steve. Plug it into a nearly ubiquitous USB port (I just flew to Singapore and back, a 24 hour flight each way; there was a USB jack on all of the flights and two of the three airports involved had USB ports available for charging -- surprisingly, Changi Airport in Singapore was the odd man out) and you'll at least maintain the charge on an iPhone or reduce the drain on an iPad.

I have several chargers at home (plus laptops and desktops), I have one in my car (for listening to podcasts while I drive), and one at work (again, plus laptops and desktops). Including cables they cost me about $20 (excepting the car, which was rather more expensive since I replaced the OEM head unit).

I think I'll take that over fretting how much battery an app may suck down, or how to optimize various settings to ensure that when I have to work a 14 hour day that my phone (or tablet, or whatever) won't die before it ends.

Yes, it's a mobile device. Let it be mobile. That doesn't mean that when you are sitting at your desk that you can't plug it in.

Does anyone know of any helpful links that can explain good battery maintenance in devices such as tablets and smartphones? What I mean is, is it healthy for my battery to be plugged in when it's not completely empty (e.g. my iPhone is at 25% battery and I plug it into my car for use with my radio which will also charge it)? That being said, is it also healthy to unplug your battery from an outlet if it's not actually 100% charged? Can you unplug your device immediately once it's reached 100%?

I realize these are probably n00b questions but I've always been curious. Can I get my battery to work more efficiently, and longer by using good "charging" habits?

Thanks. And interesting article. Always nice to read about other users habits and practices.

This is why I like the Battery Saver feature in Windows Phone - when you hit low battery, it turns off automatic checking of email and all push notifications until you plug in, but you can still go online and manually check - all without ever having to mess around with the WiFi/cellular data options.

Also, for WiFi sync, don't forget it automatically syncs when plugged in, so I say plug the iPad in for charging and let the WiFi sync do the video copy. No battery life gone!

I really would like to be able to create customized settings for different situations. Nokia phones used to do this with ringtones and sounds. I would love a battery version of that.

I believe that there's an app in the Android Market for that; it uses the GPS to determine where you are, and you can have different connectivity/ringtone settings for different locations. I looked into it when I first got my Nexus One, and just never got around to buying it. I'd suggest that maybe there's an iOS version, but IIRC app-makers don't have the same access to core settings in iOS that they do with Android.

I don't understand why anyone would do any of that stuff unless they were actually using up a full charge in the course of a day. Otherwise doesn't make more sense to enjoy all the features, not worry about fiddling with settings all the time, and just plug it in at the end of the day?

Exactly. And if you're paranoid, keep a dock cable in your car's glove box. USB is available everywhere.

Actually, a bit anecdotal, but a couple of months ago I traveled to some classes and forgot my charger for my iPad. My hotel didn't have a spare charger available (kind of surprising downtown Vancouver, wasn't a cheap hotel either), I couldn't find a USB charger to buy within walking distance (went to HMV and they didn't have one, despite having tonnes of iPhone accessories, tried a few other places and didn't find one) and my laptop doesn't have one of those high powered USB ports for charging iDevices.

It wasn't life threatening, but I had some important notes on there that I wanted to access. I managed to get through the entire weekend on a single charge though via taking advantage of most of the ideas from above, I didn't need wifi access so I turned it off, I let it sleep as much as possible, I had the brightness right down and I did it with about 20% battery left by the end of 3 days. It's useful stuff to know in situations like that.

Does anyone know of any helpful links that can explain good battery maintenance in devices such as tablets and smartphones? What I mean is, is it healthy for my battery to be plugged in when it's not completely empty (e.g. my iPhone is at 25% battery and I plug it into my car for use with my radio which will also charge it)? That being said, is it also healthy to unplug your battery from an outlet if it's not actually 100% charged? Can you unplug your device immediately once it's reached 100%?

I realize these are probably n00b questions but I've always been curious. Can I get my battery to work more efficiently, and longer by using good "charging" habits?

Thanks. And interesting article. Always nice to read about other users habits and practices.

You asked for our tips, so here's the nuclear option: using voiceover mode with the screen off (three fingered triple tap). iPads are still very useful without visual feedback.

It will require some learning for most users. I know Arses are up to the challenge. Not only will it save more battery than all of the methods above combined, it pay dividends for society, sighted, low vision, and blind if design/tech folk have a native understanding of how to craft accessible apps and sites.

As for extending the life of your battery, I believe it's also recommended to only charge your iPad once it is almost dead (below 10%), since it minimizes the number of charge cycles. I've ruined many batteries by charging something (iPods, phones, etc) by immediately plugging them into the charger when I get home, even though they're around (for example) 75% charged.

For the 2012 iPad, the only tip worth doing is reducing brightness. The display is by for the dominant power draw, probably around 80%. If Displaymate is right, the display draws 7 Watts at max brightness. That's a huge increase in power draw compared to prior screens. The A5X SoC and the LTE chipset/radios probably draw 2 Watt or less, combined.

So setting the display at 25% should vastly outweigh anything you do with the A5X or the LTE. It would save on the order of 2 W. Turning off LTE would be something like 0.25 W or so. An order of magnitude less, and you're not gaining much at all, whereas running that display at 25% (down ~2 Watts power draw on the display), could result in a 13 to 14 hour WiFi/LTE browsing times.

One should wonder whether it is really worth it though. You're getting 8-9 hours doing some heavy stuff at 50 to 60% brightness. Make it a habit to charge overnight, and don't worry about it.

I'd say that these tips are more appropriate for a phone as it has a smaller battery and is a potential emergency lifeline. With a tablet, the battery is so enormous that you can afford to leave all the gizmos on, and it's not the end of the world if the battery is dead.

Having only used a first gen iPad I was quite surprised by how quickly the new iPad loses its charge (and how slowly it charges back to full capacity). The new screen is still worth the loss of battery life, but it was pretty nice being able to make one charge last over days on the original iPad. I can already see the new one is going to require charging every day or two...

As for extending the life of your battery, I believe it's also recommended to only charge your iPad once it is almost dead (below 10%), since it minimizes the number of charge cycles. I've ruined many batteries by charging something (iPods, phones, etc) by immediately plugging them into the charger when I get home, even though they're around (for example) 75% charged.

As for extending the life of your battery, I believe it's also recommended to only charge your iPad once it is almost dead (below 10%), since it minimizes the number of charge cycles. I've ruined many batteries by charging something (iPods, phones, etc) by immediately plugging them into the charger when I get home, even though they're around (for example) 75% charged.

No, draining the battery all the way down is wrong. The old days of NiCd batteries with memory effect, the convention was to drain it all the way down and charge it all the way up. With modern Lithium Ion batteries, you no longer need to do this. The batteries have a limited number of cycles before it stops keeping a charge, but a full discharge/charge cycle is equivalent to two 1/2 discharge/charge cycles. So if you have access to power and don't mind being connected, charge it. If you have it plugged in permanently (always charging), unplug it once in awhile and let it drain to keep the battery healthy. The worst thing to do is to purposely not plug it in and drain it daily.

Or, just charge it every night while you sleep. You will never run out of battery power under any reasonable use load, and you will never be without your iPad while awake. This only fails if you sleep in areas with no electricity.

I didn't see any change with Airplane mode on/off or wifi/bluetooth on/off, the Kill-A-Watt has only 1watt accuracy. So like another poster said, the display brightness is key to battery longevity. 0% brightness is not that usable a setting. 25% is just usable, 50% is quite usable, 75% looks great. So I you want a longer battery life, stick to a brightness setting between 25% and 75%.

As for extending the life of your battery, I believe it's also recommended to only charge your iPad once it is almost dead (below 10%), since it minimizes the number of charge cycles. I've ruined many batteries by charging something (iPods, phones, etc) by immediately plugging them into the charger when I get home, even though they're around (for example) 75% charged.

I'd be willing to wager you'll be getting rid of your iPad (to get the latest and greatest new shiny next model) before you use up the number of charge cycles on the iPad you have now...

As a visually impaired ipad user, I like the brightness to be as high as possible. The other tips are very useful for me too. But, what I would really like, is a setting to control at what percentage of battery power, you get that 'low battery' notification. I'm a procrastinator, 10% left really doesn't make me run to the nearest place where I can recharge. I'd like it to tell me to plug it in when theres only 1 or 2% battery left.

Cesar Torres / Cesar is the Social Editor at Ars Technica. His areas of expertise are in online communities, human-computer interaction, usability, and e-reader technology. Cesar lives in New York City.